Broker Regulation

Five years ago, Gov. Mitt Romney championed health care reform for Massachusetts, promising universal coverage and lower costs.

In the five years since Massachusetts' landmark health care initiative was signed into law, it has served as a blueprint for national health care, a political football in last year's elections and a talking point in the 2012 presidential contest.

Last week the Senate approved a bill that would eliminate the controversial 1099 provision from the Affordable Care Act, and just three days later another important piece of the legislation went down with Friday night’s budget agreement. This time the “employee free choice” voucher program emerged in the cross-hairs.

There are a few instances where an HSA account holder might be required to pay a penalty, and they all have to do with contributing more than the allowed amount to the account.

Details of last week's hard-won agreement to avoid a government shutdown and cut federal spending by $38 billion were released Tuesday morning. They reveal the budget cuts, while historic, were significantly eased by pruning money left over from previous years, using accounting sleight of hand.

President Barack Obama's plan to curb health care costs that drive the deficit will mean less taxpayer money for providers and more costs for beneficiaries as he draws from bipartisan ideas already on the table.